Grammar Book 1 Lever Be

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FRENCH GRAMMAR

Booklet 1

Le Verbe. Quest-Ce que Cest?

By

Delphine OBrien

Grammar Booklet

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Grammar Booklet 1 The Verb

Delphine OBrien, 2013 published by myFrench.ie

Grammar Booklet

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Delphine OBrien, 2013 published by myFrench.ie

Introduction 4

What's a Verb? 5

What's an Infinitive Verb? 5

3 Ways to Use the infinitive Verb 6

2 Auxiliary Verbs in French : ETRE and AVOIR 6

What's a Pronominal Verb? 8

List of the Most Common Pronominal Verbs 9

En Rsum : 5 Things You Need to Know about the Verb 10

Au Travail! 2 Different Ways to Practice 11

Appendix : Solutions aux Activits 14

A Note about the Author 16

Copyrights 17

You might Also Like 18

Table of Contents

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Grammar. Just saying or reading the word makes most of the learners

panic! People have a negative feeling about French grammar. They have

heard about irregular verbs, weird tenses, nouns and gender

Thats why this booklet concentrates only on one grammar subject and is

compiled with only very simplified grammatical points.

You will be guided step by step and all the points are defined and

explained.

At the end of each mini lesson, you will be able to test your knowledge

and learn new vocabulary by working with cultural and authentic

literary texts.

Grammar, which knows how to control even kings. Molire

Introduction: A Word about Grammar

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What is a verb?

In French, a verb is called un verbe.

1. Un verbe could be the most important part of a sentence. Je pleure = I cry

2. The verb asserts, tells something about the subject of the sentence.

3. A verb expresses feelings, state of beings, actions or events.

4. The verb represents the chronology and the temporality of the action.

5. A verb has to be conjugated to do its work properly. It indicates if the action was in the

past, if the action is finished or starting, if the action is on-going, if the action is repeated

and if the action will take place in the future.

What is an infinitive verb/un verbe linfinitif?

We could say that linfinitif is the surname of the verb, its identity.

In English, the infinitive of a verb starts with to + the verb: to eat. Its also called full

verb.

In French, linfinitif is a single word with one of the following endings:

-ER manger (to eat)

-IR finir (to finish)

-RE rendre (to give back)

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1. After a conjugated verb:

This one is very important to remember:

In French, the second, third, etc verb that comes after the first conjugated verb is

always an infinitive.

Je veux danser. -ER ending because veux is the conjugated verb vouloir

You will find an infinitive verb after a conjugated verb but not after an auxiliary / un auxiliaire (avoir or tre).

Jai aim ce film. NO -ER ending because ai is the auxiliaire avoir.

2. After a preposition : Cest difficile de se concentrer avec tout ce bruit! Its hard to concentrate with all

this noise!

Il y aura boire et manger. There will be food and drinks.

3. As a noun: Prendre une dcision importante ce nest jamais facile. Making an important

decision is never easy.

What is an auxiliary verb?

1. ETRE

The verb tre as an auxiliary is used to conjugate all the verbs at the passive voice.

Voix active: Elsa mange un gteau au chocolat. Elsa eats a chocolate cake.

Voix passive: Le gteau au chocolat est mang par Elsa. The chocolate cake is eaten by Elsa.

3 Ways to Use the Infinitive

2 Auxiliary Verbs in French: ETRE and AVOIR

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It can also be used to conjugate compound tenses / les temps composs of all the

pronominal verbs (shabiller = to get dressed).

Je me suis habill(e). I got dressed.

It is used to conjugate all the compound tenses (like le pass-compos) of some

intransitive verbs.

Il est rentr de France samedi soir. He came back from France Saturday night.

2. AVOIR

The verbe avoir as an auxiliary is used to conjugate all the compound tenses

of the transitive verbs.

Nous avons march toute la journe. We walked all day.

It is also used to conjugate all the compound tenses of the most of the intransitive

verbs.

Jai couru vers elle. I ran towards her.

It is used to form the compound forms of the verbs tre and avoir.

Jai eu de bons rsultats mes examens. I got great results at my exams.

Jai t trs content de mon sjour Nantes. I was very happy with my trip to Nantes.

Attention! tre and avoir are also verbs not only auxiliaries.

tre means to be, to exist.

Avoir means to possess, to own.

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What is a pronominal verb / un verbe pronominal?

Un verbe pronominal is a verb that is built with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se,

nous, vous) : se laver, sendormir

Se lever To get up

Je me lve Nous nous levons

Tu te lves Vous vous levez

Il/ Elle se lve Ils/ Elles se lvent

1. The reflexive verb / le verbe rflexif

The subject does the action itself.

Je me brosse les dents. I brush my teeth (myself)

2. The idiomatic verb / le verbe idiomatique

This type of verb does not represent reflexive actions.

The verbs s'ennuyer (to be bored) and se tromper (to make a mistake) have idiomatic

meanings.

It is still the subject that experiences the action but without acting physically on it.

Il sennuie. He is bored.

Ils se sont tromps. They made a mistake.

3. The reciprocal verb / le verbe rciproque

It expresses a reciprocal action between more than one person.

Nous nous disputons tout le temps. We argue with each other all the time.

Ils se sont aims pendant 55 ans. They loved each other during 55 years.

3 Categories of Pronominal Verbs

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Les verbes rciproques Les verbes rflexifs Les verbes idiomatiques

se regarder

to look at each other

se rveiller

to wake up

se souvenir de

to remember

sembrasser

to kiss

se lever

to get up

se tromper

to make a mistake

saimer

to love each other

se laver

to wash

se trouver

to be situated

se quitter

to leave each other

se brosser

to brush

se passer

to happen

se retrouver

to meet each other

shabiller

to get dressed

samuser

to have fun

se tlphoner

to phone each other

sappeler

to be called

se marier

to get married

se parler

to talk to each other

se promener

to go for a walk

se reposer

to rest

se disputer

to argue

sarrter

to stop

sendormir

to fall asleep

se dtester

to hate each other

sasseoir

to sit down

se taire

to be silent

se coucher

to go to bed

se fcher

to get angry

sentendre

to get along

List of the Most Common Pronominal Verbs

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En Rsum: 5 Things You Need to Know

about

French Verbs

1. A verb expresses feelings, state of beings, actions or events.

2. The verb represents the chronology and the temporality of the

action.

3. A verb has to be conjugated to do its work properly.

4. The verb identity is its infinitive.

5. There are different types of verb (pronominal, transitive,

intransitive, auxiliary).

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This is now the time for you to practice and check your understanding of the lesson.

Two different types of exercises are offered, each of them will give you grammatical and

cultural knowledge.

ACTIVITE 1

Here are 10 sentences.

1. Find the verbs for each sentence.

2. For each verb, write its identity card: its group (-ER, -IR,-RE verb), its temporality

(present, future), its meaning.

1. Il y a de plus en plus de criminalit Lyon.

2. La drogue a t le plus grand flau des annes 80.

EXEMPLE

1. Je voudrais que tu me dises la vrit.

voudrais : irregular verb vouloir, conditionnel, to want

dises : verb dire, subjonctif, to tell, to say

Au travail! : 2 Different Ways to Practice

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3. Il est parti sans laisser dadresse.

4. Si jtais Paris, je visiterais le Chteau de Versailles.

5. Je prends lavion demain pour Milan.

6. Je tenverrai une lettre ds mon arrive !

7. Elle marchait dans la fort. Elle cria.

8. Quand il sera grand, il veut tre avocat.

9. Ils sont alls faire les vendanges.

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ACTIVITE 2

Texte adapt du roman de Guy De Maupassant Le Horla (1887)

http://abu.cnam.fr/cgi-bin/go?horla3

8 mai. - Quelle journe admirable ! J'ai pass toute la matine tendu sur l'herbe,

devant ma maison, sous l'norme platane qui la couvre, l'abrite et l'ombrage tout

entire. J'aime ce pays, et j'aime y vivre parce que j'y ai mes racines, ces profondes et

dlicates racines, qui attachent un homme la terre o sont ns et morts ses aeux,

qui l'attachent ce qu'on pense et ce qu'on mange, aux usages comme aux

nourritures, aux locutions locales, aux intonations des paysans, aux odeurs du sol,

des villages et de l'air lui-mme.

J'aime ma maison o j'ai grandi. De mes fentres, je vois la Seine qui coule, le long de

mon jardin, derrire la route, presque chez moi, la grande et large Seine qui va de

Rouen au Havre, couverte de bateaux qui passent.

A gauche, l-bas, Rouen, la vaste ville aux toits bleus, sous le peuple pointu des

clochers gothiques. Ils sont innombrables, frles ou larges, domins par la flche de

fonte de la cathdrale, et pleins de cloches qui sonnent dans l'air bleu des belles

matines, jetant jusqu' moi leur doux et lointain bourdonnement de fer, leur chant

d'airain que la brise m'apporte, tantt plus fort et tantt plus affaibli, suivant qu'elle

s'veille ou s'assoupit.

1. Make a list of all the verbs at the present tense with their meaning.

2. Find all the pronominal verbs and their meaning.

Grammar Booklet

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ACTIVITE 1

1. Il y a de plus en plus de criminalit Lyon. a : auxiliaire avoir, prsent, to have

2. La drogue a t le plus grand flau des annes 80. a t : auxiliaire tre, pass-compos, to be

3. Il est parti sans laisser dadresse. est parti : -IR verbe, pass-compos, to go laisser : infinitif, to leave

4. Si jtais Paris, je visiterais le Chteau de Versailles. tais : auxiliaire tre, imparfait, to be visiterais : ER verbe, conditionnel, to visit

5. Je prends lavion demain pour Milan. prends : -RE verbe irrgulier prendre, prsent, to take

6. Je tenverrai une lettre ds mon arrive ! enverrai : -ER verbe irrgulier envoyer, futur, to send

7. Elle marchait dans la fort. Elle cria. marchait : -ER verbe rgulier marcher, imparfait, to walk cria : -ER verbe rgulier crier, passe-simple, to shout

Appendix

Solutions aux activits sur le Verbe

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8. Quand il sera grand, il veut tre avocat. sera : auxiliaire tre, futur, to be veut : verbe irrgulier vouloir, prsent, to want

9. Ils sont alls faire les vendanges. sont alls : verbe irrgulier aller, pass-compos, to go ACTIVITE 2

1. Make a list of all the verbs at the present tense with their meaning.

1. couvre, verbe couvrir = to cover

2. abrite, verbe abriter = to shelter

3. ombrage, verbe ombrager = to overshadow

4. aime, verbe aimer = to like

5. ai, verbe avoir = to have

6. attachent, verbe attacher = to link, to connect

7. pense, verbe penser = to think

8. mange, verbe manger = to eat

9. vois, verbe voir = to see

10. va, verbe aller = to go

11. sonnent, verbe sonner = to ring

12. apporte, verbe apporter = to bring

13. s'veille, verbe sveiller = to be become aware of, to wake up to

14. s'assoupit, verbe sassoupir = to nod off

2. Find all the pronominal verbs and their meaning.

3. s'veille, verbe sveiller = to be become aware of, to wake up to

4. s'assoupit, verbe sassoupir = to nod off

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Delphine OBrien is a native French speaker who has been living in Ireland for the last 10 years. She is a mum of 2 girls so she experiences on a daily basis the richness and also the challenge that language interaction and bilingualism bring into our lives.

She has been teaching French & French as a Second Language (FSL) both in France and in Ireland for 15 years. She has taught as a secondary school teacher (from 1st to 6th years) and is experienced in marking written exam papers and the Leaving Cert Oral exam.

In France, she studied French linguistics & literature, English linguistics, culture & literature, childrens French literature, child psychology and qualified with a Degree in French as a Second Language Teacher and in a MA in Intercultural Sciences of Education.

She is now a freelance FSL Tutor and she gives online private tuitions to Secondary Schools Students, Adults Learners + Primary School, Homeschooled & Bilingual Children.

When she is not teaching online, she creates e-courses for Leaving Cert Students, runs them on my website and writes e-books to help students succeed in their exam.

She also writes and records Podcasts in French about what is happening on the French scene, promoting the intercultural and human aspect that lies behind the linguistic and theoretical domains of learning a foreign language.

A Note about the Author

Delphine OBrien is a native French speaker who has been living in Ireland for the last 10 years. She is a mum of 2 girls so she experiences on a daily basis the richness and also the challenge that language interaction and bilingualism bring into our lives.

She has been teaching French & French as a Second Language (FSL) both in France and in Ireland for 15 years. She has taught as a secondary school teacher (from 1st to 6th years) and is experienced in marking written exam papers and the Leaving Cert Oral exam.

In France, she studied French linguistics & literature, English linguistics, culture & literature, childrens French literature, child psychology and qualified with a Degree in French as a Second

Language Teacher and in a MA in Intercultural Sciences of Education.

She is now a freelance FSL Tutor and she gives online private tuitions to Secondary Schools Students, Adults Learners + Primary School, Homeschooled & Bilingual Children.

When she is not teaching online, she creates e-courses for Leaving Cert Students, runs them on my website and writes e-books to help students succeed in their exam.

She also writes and records Podcasts in French about what is happening on the French scene, promoting the intercultural and human aspect that lies behind the linguistic and theoretical domains of learning a foreign language.

Grammar Booklet

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Copyrights

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Grammar Book 1 Lever Be

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